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Nov 9 New Insights Show Type 1 Diabetes Community Needs More Advances

People living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are faced with daily challenges like stress and limited freedom to do what they love, leaving them seeking additional ways to help manage their condition. This sentiment is shared by medical professionals, specifically endocrinologists who want to do more to help their patients living with T1D.

In two recent online T1D Unmet Needs surveys from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), conducted by The Harris Poll in collaboration with Sanofi US and Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, more than 70 percent of adults living with T1D (73%) and endocrinologists (73%) stated that recent advances in T1D care give them hope that there will eventually be a cure. However, according to the surveys, an overwhelming majority (87% of adults with T1D; 93% of endocrinologists) agreed that more advances are needed to help improve the lives of those with the disease.

Some of the results of this survey may be surprising, including that many adults living with T1D:

Feel like the whole day revolves around managing the disease (51%); feel like a burden to their partner (35%); avoid going out to eat (57%); avoid attending social gatherings with family and friends (49%)

The Challenge of Life with T1D is Ongoing

For those living with T1D, everyday situations that other people take for granted can be challenging and can ultimately have an adverse impact on their lives. For instance, adults living with T1D have a significant emotional burden: 88 percent said living with the disease adds stress to their lives, and 55 percent said managing their T1D takes up a significant amount of time and energy.

These challenges extend into disease management as well, as adults living with T1D also said they struggle the most with keeping their blood sugar within the recommended range (58%) and achieving individualized target A1C levels (48%). In addition, approximately 77 percent of adults living with T1D stated they wish they had medications to help them stay within the recommended blood sugar range for longer periods of time.

Overall, the survey results illuminated the T1D community's need for more than what is currently available in terms of support, management and treatment of the disease and why it is important to continue prioritizing and advancing innovation to help people achieve better outcomes. Living with T1D is an everyday challenge, so it may not be surprising that 96 percent of endocrinologists and 88 percent of adults living with T1D are hopeful that future advances in T1D will help with overcoming the challenges of this disease.

In combination with bringing to light the unresolved needs of this community, these results represent an opportunity to enhance education that might ultimately help improve T1D care and outcomes. Learning more about the condition is an important step toward addressing the challenges that people living with T1D face daily. The findings of this survey will also hopefully help to encourage further dialogue and information-sharing between endocrinologists and their patients. For more information on the challenges of living with T1D, please visit gobeyondinsulinalonet1d.com.

About the surveys

The research was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in collaboration with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi, among patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and endocrinologists who treat T1D patients within the United States. The patient survey was conducted May 21 through June 6, 2018 among 255 adults age 18+ who have been diagnosed with T1D by a healthcare professional. Figures for age by gender, income, race/ethnicity, region, size of household, marital status and employment status were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. The healthcare professional survey was conducted May 22 through June 11, 2018, among 253 endocrinologists who see at least one patient with T1D in a month. Results were weighted for gender, by years in practice, and by region where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. BPT

In May 2019, British artist Chemical X’s art installation “Skid Rodeo Drive” highlighted the economic disparities in Los Angeles, where scores of homeless people live in tent communities not far from luxe enclaves like the famed Rodeo Drive. In the L.A. suburb of Pacoima, Calif., dozens of predominantly African American people are living in tents under the Ronald Reagan Freeway.Photo: Ari Perilstein (Getty Images for Chemical X)